The Acting Executive Secretary of SADC, Margaret Nyirenda, said visiting an exhibition such as Global Expo Botswana afforded one the opportunity to establish new contacts, obtain new quotes and estimates and discover new trends and developments.

She noted that small economies could benefit from events like the Global Expo as they interacted and got exposed to one another.

"Small countries have louder voices when they collectively bargain as they negotiate market access agreements," she said.

With larger markets, small economies became more attractive to the much-needed Foreign Domestic Investment (FDI), she added.

Nyirenda said exhibitions like Global Expo had been adjudged across the world as one of the most effective and efficient sales and marketing platforms for the reason that they allowed for the five senses to be activated.

"The recently held Integrated Committee of Ministers Meeting in Manzini, Swaziland, urged member states to remove restrictions - in fact, we have urged countries with surplus maize to sell their produce within the region," said Margaret Nyirenda, head of the SADC's Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Directorate.

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"The plans are now at an advanced stage and have received support because of the current global food crisis," said Nyirenda.

Various models of the proposed facility are being negotiated; the strongest contender is based on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Emergency Rice Reserve, established in the late 1970s.

In the Southern African model a 500,000 metric tonne facility, including a cash component for countries that do not have any surplus to contribute, would be set up.About 75 percent of the reserve will comprise food in kind, while the remaining 25 percent will be in the form of cash.

"The reserve, which will include a combination of cereals, will be kept in several selected countries to provide easy access around the region," said Nyirenda.

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"We support such bilateral initiatives to boost food security, but we are concerned in instances where land is being leased or purchased for biofuel production at the expense of food production," said Nyirenda.

Ms Margaret NyirendaNyirenda joined the SADC Secretariat in 1997 and worked as Senior Economist and Desk Officer for Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources sector until March 2002.After the restructuring of SADC, she became Supervisor (acting director) of FANR until her appointment as the substantive director.

Margaret Nyirenda has extensive experience in management policy formulation and implementation, and project evaluation.Her work experience began in 1977 and she worked for the government of Malawi for 20 years in various ministries, including agriculture.

She was senior economist in the department of Economic Planning and Development from 1984 to 1989, when she became chief executive of the Malawi Mudzi Fund, a pilot scheme which later merged into the Malawi Rural Finance Company, covering the entire country.

From 1992 to 1997, Nyirenda was deputy chief economist in the Ministry of Finance and chief economist of the agriculture, food security and nutrition sections in the Department of Economic Planning and Development.he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from the University of Malawi, holds a post-graduate diploma in Production and Development Economics from the University of Wales, a Master of Science degree in Agriculture Economics from the same university, and a Masters degree in Public Policy and Management from Harvard University in the USA.